Plant medicines for pain are cherished because they impart few if any negative side effects. Now we can another plant medicine to our list of pain-relievers.
Researchers from Iran’s Tabriz University of Medical Sciences conducted a study of 90 women who underwent hysterectomy surgery.
The patients were randomly divided into three groups.
One group received a traditional herbal extract called Chelledaghi in suppository form 24 hours before and 24 hours after the surgery. Another group received a placebo suppository before the surgery and the Chelledaghi extract for 24 hours after the surgery. A third group was given the placebo before and after the surgery.
The researchers measured their respective pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). They also measured and compared how much conventional pain medication and sedatives the women required (no, the placebo group was not denied pain medication!)
The researchers found that the groups given the Chelledaghi extract experienced less pain, required fewer sedatives and pain-relief medication. They also had fewer side effects from pain medication. The researchers concluded:
“Chelledaghi herbal extract can be effectively used to mitigate pain after surgery in the selected patients without any significant side effects.”
What is Chelledaghi?
Chelledaghi is the traditional name given the medicinal plant also called Desert spike or Eremostachys laciniata. This plant belongs in the Lamiaceae family, a large family containing thousands of species that includes other pain-reducing herbs such as Sage (Salvia officinalis) and Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis).The Eremostachys laciniata plant grows well in arid and dry climates, and blooms in the wild into funnel-shaped pink, yellow or white flowers and spikey leaves. The plant is native to the Middle East, India, China and Mongolia.
The plant has also been used traditional for headaches and other pain-relief. It is also antibacterial, containing ridoid glucosides, such as paloyoside, phlomiol and pulchelloside. Research from Iran also found it inhibits E. coli and Staphyloccus aureus.
Typical of nature’s intelligence – relieves pain while it kills off pathogenic bacteria.
REFERENCES:
Gharabagy PM, Zamany P, Delazar A, Ghojazadeh M, Goldust M. Efficacy of Eremostachys laciniata herbal extract on mitigation of pain after hysterectomy surgery. Pak J Biol Sci. 2013 Sep 1;16(17):891-4.Modaressi M, Delazar A, Nazemiyeh H, Fathi-Azad F, Smith E, Rahman MM, Gibbons S, Nahar L, Sarker SD. Antibacterial iridoid glucosides from Eremostachys laciniata. Phytother Res. 2009 Jan;23(1):99-103.
Photo by James Gaither